On Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21, 2018, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square held their annual Pioneer Day concerts, “Music for a Summer Evening.” They were joined by guest artists Matthew Morrison, Laura Michelle Kelly, and Oscar “Andy” Hammerstein III.

This special Broadway-themed concert began with the Orchestra at Temple Square performing the Main Title from How the West Was Won, followed by a musical tribute to the Mormon pioneers with the Choir and Orchestra performing “They, the Builders of the Nation” and “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” 

The concert also reunited Broadway’s Finding Neverland stars Morrison and Kelly, who performed duets including “People Will Say We’re in Love,” from Oklahoma, “I Have Dreamed,” from The King and I, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from Carousel. These songs—and many others from the Rodgers and Hammerstein collection—were interlaced between the revealing narration of Oscar “Andy” Hammerstein III, grandson of Oscar Hammerstein.

Morrison’s solos included “Oklahoma,” “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” “Younger Than Springtime, and “Some Enchanted Evening.” “What a privilege to be here singing with this Choir and Orchestra,” announced Morrison. Kelly, who despite touring all over the United States expressed regret that this was her first time in Utah, said, “Your city deserves an applause. It’s such a beautiful city here and such a wonderful, heavenly choir and orchestra—this is just a dream.” Her solos included “Mister Snow,” “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” and “Hello, Young Lovers.”

In a Broadway World review of the concert, Tyler Hinton wrote, “The highlight of the show was the unexpected inclusion of the "Wedding Processional" in a medley from The Sound of Music that included classic Mormon Tabernacle Choir arrangements of the title song and ‘Climb Every Mountain.’ The scale of the performance of the processional from Richard Elliott at the massive pipe organ with the orchestra and choir was nothing short of thrilling.”

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the 2018 Pioneer Day concert with special guests Matthew Morrison, Laura Michelle Kelly, and Oscar “Andy” Hammerstein III.